Malaysia hopes to see 36 million tourists by 2020

A record 25 million people visited Malaysia in 2012. Tourism minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen has said that she is confident that Malaysia will see 36 million tourists by 2020.

Tourism in Malaysia generated RM 60.6 billion in revenue in 2012, RM 1 billion more than the previous year. Ng has said that the growth in tourist arrivals is on line with the target of the Malaysian Tourism Plan 2020, which hopes to see 36 million people visiting the south-east Asian country by 2020, generating RM 168 billion in tourism revenue.

"The Asean market contributed the most number of tourists with 75.1 per cent following various competitive offers by low-cost carriers such as Air Asia, Mandala Airlines, SEAir and Tiger Airways besides the existence of new tourism products such as the Johor Premium Outlet and the Legoland Theme Park."

'We are on track towards meeting our long-term targets and we hope that the Visit Malaysia Year in 2014 and the promotional campaign this year will significantly boost our tourism performance,' she added.

Visitors from the UK were down 0.4 per cent on the previous year with 402,207 Brits visiting Malaysia in 2012. Tourism officials are hoping those numbers will increase in coming years and that Visit Malaysia Year in 2014 draws in more tourists from around the world.

The main attractions that bring people to Malaysia include its tea plantations, sandy beaches, landmarks in the country’s capital such as the Petronas Twin Towers and the Sepang International Circuit, which hosts a round of the Formula 1 World Championship each year.